TORONTO – Telus has teamed up with entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den judge Arlene Dickinson on a new contest aimed at helping small businesses succeed.
On now through October 29, the inaugural Telus Pitch asks Canadian entrepreneurs to enter the annual contest by sharing how winning the grand prize of $100,000 will help them achieve their business goals and take their small business to the next level of excellence.
The judging panel will also award four other business owners a total of more than $50,000 in additional cash prizes, hardware, technology and marketing services, and select finalists will be provided ongoing mentorship opportunities from industry experts. In addition, the business deemed “the most promising startup” will win $10,000, two Samsung devices and mentoring and marketing services from startup marketing firm Eighty-Eight.
To help drive awareness of the Telus Pitch contest, a life-sized custom elevator is travelling the country, stopping at local small business events to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to step in and deliver their 60 second live ‘elevator pitch’.
Dickinson and Telus’ small business VP Suzanne Trusdale will join Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures; Sunil Sharma, managing Director at Techstars Toronto; Erin Bury, managing director of Eighty-Eight, and Mark Childs, chief brand officer at Samsung Canada as Telus Pitch judges.
Three semi-finalists will be invited to pitch all six judges in Toronto on November 13 on how they plan to use the $100,000, and the final winner will be announced live at the event.
"I've worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the course of my career and I know firsthand what it takes to build a successful business from the ground up; $100,000 when you're a startup or an early-stage business is equivalent to winning the lottery. It means everything," said District Ventures Capital CEO Arlene Dickinson (pictured), in the Telus release. "But the Telus Pitch is not only providing financial support, it's providing mentorship and resources to help Canadian small business owners achieve the next step in their dream, and I'm excited to take part."
